Spent 3 hours fighting a creosote log jam in a 1950s flue

I was working on a house in Portland last Tuesday and hit a massive buildup about 10 feet down that my regular rods and brush wouldn't budge. Tried every trick I knew for an hour before I finally grabbed a rotary tool with a flex shaft and chipped it out piece by piece. Has anyone else dealt with a jam that stubborn, and how long did it take you to clear it?

2 comments

2 Comments

veramartin14d ago

That rotary tool idea is clever, but did you check the flue liner condition afterward? I'm wondering if the jam was a sign of a bigger problem with the terra cotta cracking or settling.

rayc8913d ago

Been there with an old Portland flue myself. Those 1950s terra cotta liners collect creosote like crazy and a rotary tool is about the only way to break through a hard jam without cracking the tile. If you're still in the area make sure to check the offset joints too, that's usually where the real trouble starts.